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Recap (Jan. 17, 2019): Developing Your Career Development Strategy

Thank you for attending our first webcast on Developing Your Career Strategy. You will find the full recording here. To view the clip of my interview with Steve Dalton, please click here. (I apologize for the problems with the sound during the live session. We’ll get better with our subsequent webcasts.)

There are different career development frameworks that you will find when working with different coaches. Here is one framework that I’ve put together based on working with students and private clients:

Many job seekers begin their job search in the “Apply Your Brand” stage, where their focus is to submit as many applications as possible without a customized resume or cover letter. Others start in the “Express Your Brand” stage, revising and updating their resume. However, without having identified their brand or considered their long term career trajectory, many still miss out on distinguishing themselves from other candidates.

Gerald shared his approach to developing a career strategy. In addition to his suggestion, I recommend considering the following factors as part of your larger strategy; these questions can help you focus your job search:

What are your geographical preferences?

What are your functional preferences? What are your interests?

What are your industry preferences?

What type(s) of companies/organizations would you prefer to work for?

What is important to you? What are your motivators?

We also discussed different assessments, including:

Clifton Strengths — I have 13 access codes to give away for free. These codes will give you access to the assessment and reports for your Top 5 Talents. Please e-mail Jerome Ng if you are interested in one of these codes. One access code per person. Available while they last.

CraftMasterED — This is the assessment that Dr. Gerald Wilson is developing. It is still in the beta phase.

How do you document your assessment results on your resume, if at all?

It is not necessary to explicitly document your assessment results on your resume. Instead, you can think about framing your experience around those results, which you should have weaved into the career brand that you would like to showcase. Using Clifton Strengths as an example, Consistency is my #5 talent. One of the things people who are dominant in Consistency enjoy is processes. I’ve determined that this should be part of my professional brand. Accordingly, I highlight my ability to develop and streamline processes to maintain quality assurance and data accuracy, while improving efficiency.

Linn mentioned that she uses the results of her assessments in interviews. That is a perfect venue in which to talk about them. The other channel is cover letters since that is an opportunity to highlight a couple of qualities that make you a unique candidate.

What are the next steps after Strength Assessment tests?

You can find a list of Gallup-Certified Strengths Coaches here. You can also use the self-guided learning modules within the Gallup Strengths Center (log in with the account you created for your assessment). “Next steps” depend on your long term plans. In terms of careers, I work with clients on applying their Strengths to crafting their professional brand, building interview stories, and being aware of the type of organizational culture that best fits their work style.